Protector
by Inkcrafter
Summary: This is now a string of one-shots.  Some father/son fluff between Jack and Optimus.  He might have average grades and a bad job, but Jack is truely a strong human.  But only now does his family realize it.
1. Chapter 1

When Jack, Miko and Raf had been dropped off by Ms. Darby in front of the bases entrance (All but Ratchet were out on recon and unable to pick up their human friends), Ratchet knew something was instantly wrong. Miko and Raf were talking quietly and hurridly to Jack, who tried to get them to stop, and Jack was wearing large sunglasses and winced slightly with every step he took.

"What happend?" Rachet asked as the three humans entered.

"Jack-" Miko was cut off by Jack cover her mouth with his hand.

"Nothings wrong Ratchet." He said innocently. Ratchet raised a metal brow, unconvinced.

"Oh, is that so? Then perhaps you wouldn't mind taking off those awful looking sunglasses.

"Uh, no. My eyes are a little sensitive today to light."

Everyone jumped when Optimus' voice came from the console.

"Ratchet, requesting a groundbridge, same quardinates as last time."

Ratchet huffed in irritation, turning and setting in quardinates before opening the green lit portal device.

Ratchet then turned to look at Jack.

"And can you explain _why_ exactly you're limping?" Ratchet asked.

"I'm just a little stiff, slept wrong."

Miko gave a snort before heading up to watch TV with Raf, ignoring the strange looks she was given.

Sighing, Ratchet shook his head before turning his attention back to Jack.

"Pehaps I should scan you, see if you pulled a muscle or something-"

"Nah, don't need it."

"Oh really, I _insist_."

"Ratchet, really. I'm fine."

"Something wrong?"

Ratchet and Jack looked over to see all the other 'bots enter through the groundbridge.

While Ratchet said 'yes', Jack said 'no' at the same time. Both were given strange looks from everyone at this.

Ratchet moved forward.

"I believe Jack is injured, he is _limping_ for Primus' sake!"

"I told you Ratchet, I. Am. Fine." Jack said to the med bot, ignoring the concerned look from the other 'bots.

"Jack...?" The teen looked up at Arcee, who was looking at him with worry. Jack gave a reasuring smile.

"Don't worry so much-"

'Bee, who'd snuck up unnoticed, suddenly removed his sunglasses.

'Bee chirped in alarm, Bulkhead stumbled over his own feet a little, Arcee gasped along with Ratchet, and Optimus' brow furrowed.

A nasty, purple, blue and black bruise covered his right eye. It was so large it touched half of the bridge of his nose, and a large cut arched just below his left eye, dried, crumbling blood beneath it.

"Jack?" Arcee asked, her famous temper slowly seeping into her voice.

Jack sighed, gently taking the sunglasses back and shoving them into his pocket.

"It's nothing, it doesn't even hurt that much any more."

"Jack, who did this?" Optimus asked, kneeling down.

"It doesn't-"

"It was Vince." Raf suddenly said, earning a sharp look from Jack.

Arcee growled.

"That son-of-a-"

"Arcee! Not around Raf!" Jack cut in, waving his arms franticly before flinching.

Ratchet sighed.

"Go clean up your cut, then I'll fix you back up." He said. Jack nodded, leaving the room.

Arcee turned to Raf and Miko, "What happend?"

Miko hopped off the couch, then went around to lean on a rail.

"Jack basicly saved me an' Raf from a beating."

"Explain from the begining." Ratchet said. Miko nodded as she went to lean on the rail.

**Flashback**

Raf and Miko waited on the steps of the school, the former reading while Miko was humming randomly.

"Seriously, where is Jack?" Miko suddenly snapped, making Raf jump. The twelve year old then smiled reassuringly, "He'll be here soon." He said as he looked back down...

The book was suddenly ripped away from his hands.

Vince. And his cronies too.

He stood above them, holding the book to high for either Raf or Miko to reach.

"Well look at this, never thought you could get a girlfriend pip-squeek." He jeered, smirking as Raf stood and went to grab the book, but failed. Vince and his friends laughed.

"C'mon Vince, it's friday! Can't you just leave us be?" Raf asked, only to be pushed back into Miko, who caught the smaller male.

**Flashback end**

'Bee buzzed angrily, cutting off Miko's explination. The yellow 'bot looked at Raf with concern, but Raf smiled.

"Don't worry 'Bee, Jack protected us. Though he might not have had to if Miko hadn't told Vince off." Raf said, giving the asian girl a pointed look. The femme just shrugged.

"Not my fault he's a jerk."

Ratchet sighed.

"Can you please just continue explaining what happend to Jack?" He snapped, Miko nodded, continuing.

**Flashback**

Vince snarled at Miko as the girl smirked at him. Raf uncovered his ears (Which he'd covered when Miko began to use some _extremely_ colorful language).

"You little-!" Vince raised his hand, ready to smack the teen with a book. Miko gasped as he swung down...

Miko was shoved out of the way and a milli-second later, the sound of a book contacting skin echoed. Raf bent down to help Miko up from the ground while the girl looked up to see her savior.

It was Jack.

His head was to the side from the contact of the book, but his face was almost scarily calm. The book had cut him slightly under one eye, and it bled slowly.

Vince looked a little shocked as Jack recovered, slowly looking forward again. Vince then smirked.

"Well look at that, Darby's actually protecting his little friends. Hehe, guess having only two friends does that." Vince taunted. Jack stared at him calmly.

"It's called protecting my family _Vince_." Jack spat out, making Vince flinch slightly.

It was unnerving, not only for Vince, but Miko and Raf as well.

"Well then, you want to take the beating for 'em?"

Vince punched Jack, sending him back into the brick wall of the school.

"Jack!"

The raven haired teen sent a small smile to his two friends before Vince kicked his right leg and his cronies joined in.

Raf curled into Miko's side, hiding his face as Vince and his group continued his attack on Jack.

Until the most unexpected happend.

Jack suddenly reached forward, grabbed Vince's shirt collar and slammed the red head teen into the wall. He then grabbed the back of Vince's collar, and turned, shoving him into his friends, making them tumble down the steps of the school.

He moved forward with amazing speed as the group recovered and drove his fist up into one male's chin. Another kicked at him, but Jack jumped, grabbing the leg and kicking the teen in the chest before letting him go.

He ducked as Vince swung at him, and, using one hand on the ground to brace himself, slammed his foot up into Vince's chin.

The group decided they'd had enough 'fun' and ran for it.

Jack turned back to Miko and Raf, who watched him with awe and shock. Jack laughed slightly, before offering a hand to each of them.

"C'mon, we gotta stop by my house and my mom'll take us to base."

Both his friends accepted the offered hands and Jack pulled them up, but as Jack turned, Miko grabbed his arm. Jack turned back to her, "Yeah?"

"Where'd you learn to fight like that? That...That was awesome!"

Jack gave another laugh.

"I learned from my dad." Was all he said before pulling Miko and Raf towards his house.

**Flashback end**

"Wait, Jack seriously fought about six guys at the same time?" Arcee asked increduously. Miko nodded, and Raf did so as well.

"One of Vince's cronies got in a kick to his ribs, but Jack insists he's fine." Raf said.

A soft look suddenly fell across Miko's features.

"When docbot said Optimus use to be like Jack, I thought it was just a joke, but now? He called us his family...he took a hit for me, and even more for both Raf and I. Now I can see Jack as being like a Prime..." Her voice faded. She then turned around and crossed her arms, smiling.

Everyone turned as Jack walked back into the room, the blood cleaned away from his cut, he still walked a little oddly. He went over to Ratchet, who bent down and looked him over for any more injury.

"Miko and Raf explained what happend. What you did was extremely reckless Jack and-"

"I know Ratchet, but what would you have done in my position? Let Miko get hurt? Or Raf? I did what instinct told me to do, and it worked out fine."

"Instinct?" Ratchet echoed, brow furrowing. Jack nodded.

"Hey, dad always said I could never stand to see anyone get hurt." Jack said softly, smiling up at the 'bots.

"Your creator, he taught you how to fight?" Optimus asked, Jack shook his head.

"No, he taught me how to defend, to protect. Fighting and defending are two different things."

"Indeed." Optimus said, nodding in agreement.

"Though I'm surprised you know that."

Jack laughed while Ratchet carefully proded him with a finger, searchng for any other problems.

"Fighting is when you hurt others for the hell of it (Everyone else was surprised at him for saying it so boldly). Defending and protecting, that's fighting only when you have to. I didn't throw the first punch, Vince did. I was entitled to defend myself."

Miko and Raf suddenly came down to where Jack was, and hugged him.

"Thanks Jack." Miko and Raf said in unison. Jack flinched as his bruised rib was touched, but hid it well, only Optimus, Ratchet and Arcee noticed.

"Your welcome, and Miko? Please, _never_ say those words to Vince, or anyone again. I don't think Raf could handle it."

Everyone laughed.

**Hope you guys liked it! It's sorta releated to this story I'm gonna be working on. Another 'Jack isn't all he seems to be' story. Anywho, hope you liked it!**


	2. Chapter 2

Jack sighed as he plopped down on the front steps of the school, placing his bag at his feet.

He stretched his arms upward, yawning widely, and wincing when his shoulder gave a paticularly audible pop.

It was Saturday, but, due to his protecting Miko and Raf the day before, he'd been given Saturday detention. While Vince and his groupies had gotten off the hook, due to them telling a phonie, far fetched story to the principle.

Not that Jack really minded. He'd protected Miko and Raf, and he'd rather be the one injured and given detention rather then them being hurt. His father had told him that protecting those he loved would always come at some sort of price, and Jack had come to terms with that.

His father...

Jack turned his head upward to look at the blue, cloudless sky, eyes filled with sadness. It was April 3rd.

The 8th anniversary of his dad's death.

The whole week leading up to the day, Jack had put up a front, pretending nothing was wrong, even though he wished more than anything to cry.

But he couldn't, he had to be strong for his family, even if most of it consisted of alien robots.

Jack's eyes shut as tears burned them, threatening to fall. One managed to escape, and rolled slowly down his face.

Jack jumped in surprise when a large truck rolled up.

Optimus.

With an impatient hand, Jack wiped the stray tear away quickly. He then grabbed his backpack and climbed into the rig, doing his seatbelt as the door shut.

"Hey Optimus, where's Arcee?" Jack asked, fighting to keep his voice steady as he blinked away tears in an attempt to restrain them.

"Ratchet is running diagnostics on all Autobots after our recent battle with the Decepticons. Arcee suffered some slight damage, and is getting repairs, and I volunteered to come bring you back to base from your school. Though I thought you, Rafael and Miko had no studies on weekends."

Jack gave a short laugh.

"No, we don't. But I got detention for yesterday, when I got in Vince's way. He and his friends went and told a story to the principle that made it seem I was the only one at fault. So I got stuck with detention and not them." Jack explained as he placed his hands on the wheel so no one would notice a rig driving itself.

Optimus was silent for a moment, and Jack glanced at the dashboard for a moment before looking back outside.

"You do not seem bothered by this." Optimus finally spoke. Jack gave a short laugh.

"That's cause I'm not. Like my dad said..." Jack paused for a moment, gathering his composure as he thought of his dad.

"Like he always said, 'Protecting those you love always comes at a price'. My dad was smart, because he was right. I've come to not care what price I have to pay, not when it comes to my family."

Another silence filled the air, though it was a comfortable silence.

"Your father was wise, to say those words."

"Yeah...He was..." Jack said as he looked down. Optimus adjusted his rearview mirrors to look at the raven haired teen, seeing the sadness that Jack was desperately trying to hide as he stared at the Autobot insignia on the Primes wheel.

Optimus turned onto the road that led to the Autobot base, then pulled over to the side, making Jack look up in puzzlement.

"Something is troubling you, would you mind if I ask why?" Optimus said, and Jack looked at the dashboard in surprise.

"Wh-what? Nothing! N-nothings wrong, what would give you that idea?" Jack said quickly, stumbling over his own words.

"Because your eyes decieve your words."

Jack looked down, hands moving to lightly grip the seat.

"It...It's nothing Optimus, just having a bad day."

Jack gave a small yelp of surprise as Optimus suddenly began to drive again, but off road.

For awhile, everything was quiet, the only sound was the rumble as the passed over the dry, desert ground. Jack stared out the window at the passing hills of rock and sand, wondering what Optimus was doing.

The 'bot finally stopped when they reached the top of a large hill, well out of sight of the road which had been left miles back. The door swung open, and Jack understood, unbuckling his seatbelt, he hopped out.

The sound of shifting metal and clicking gears echoed through the still air, and soon Optimus, in all his glory, stood before the onyx haired teen.

Optimus lowered a hand, laying it flat and allowing Jack to climb onto it and sit in his palm before lifting Jack to optic level.

"I have lived for a very long time, I now know how to see through any facade one may hold, and I have seen you hiding behind a mask for a long while. You remind me very much of myself when I first became a Prime, I felt as though I could not show any fear or sadness unless I wished to see those close to me suffer as well. But I came to realize that if emotion is held inside for far too long, then it can effect you for a life time."

Jack stared at the Prime, mulling over the words as Optimus continued.

"I wish to aid you, Jack. For I feel that perhaps you would feel comfortable to confide in one who has experienced what you are now."

Jack was quiet for a moment, extremely hesitant. Optimus allowed Jack to think over his words, quietly waiting for the teen to speak. Jack then looked down, running a hand gently over the warm metal beneath him.

"I...I just miss him."

Jack then looked up at the sky, and Optimus was surprised to see tears begin to slowly fall from the teen's gentle, blue-grey eyes.

"Today...Today's the anniversary...It's been eight years since my dad...Since he..." Jack paused, fighting to keep his voice strong and calm.

"Since he died." Jack finally finished. Optimus remained quiet, and Jack quickly wiped away his tears. Once the teen did that, Optimus spoke.

"You must have been very close."

Jack gave a small smile.

"Yeah, we were...He was actually a lot like...like you." Jack admitted shyly. Optimus' metal brows raised, not expecting Jack to say that of all things.

Jack smiled up at Optimus, cheeks tinted a slight red from embarassment.

"It's true, I swear! He...He always put others ahead of himself, and did whatever he could if someone was in need of help. He was part of the police force here in Jasper..."

Optimus tilted his head as Jack's voice trailed off, and the raven haired teen looked down.

"But that also meant he put himself in danger, not a lot, I mean, it _is_ Jasper, after all. Nothing like New York or anything. But it was enough...That's how he died."

Optimus was silent, allowing Jack to take his time, deciding his next words. The Prime knew that the teen would speak once he was again ready.

Though the prime also needed the time to recover from the shock from Jack's words. His father had been on the police force? June Darby had said that Jack's father left, but he'd truely _died_?

"He...He was after the gang that use to hang around here...a few years back..." Jack said slowly, his voice slightly shakey, and his body wracked with silent sobs. Optimus was surprised to see this, and was also shocked when a few tears fell to land on his warm, metal hand.

"Th-they di-didn't have any g-guns...mostly j-just baseball bats a-and really big, sl-slow weapons...H-he br-brought most of them d-d-down with a co-couple other officers...b-but the leader pulled a kn-knife out, and w-went to kill one of th-the other officers...Dad...Dad pushed him out of the way...And w-w-was stabbed."

Optimus' optics shut as the words pierced him. His composure stayed calm, but inside he felt his spark twist in sadness as he watched the human in his palm wipe away tears.

"S-sorry Optimus, didn't m-mean to...to do that." Jack said as he stopped crying and swiped away the last few tears on his face.

"There is no need for you to be sorry, Jack. I had not guessed that your father died in such a way, he must have been extremely brave."

"Yeah...He was." Jack murmured as he began to run a hand over the seam of the metal along Optimus' hand. Jack was surprised when Optimus lifted his other hand, softly touching a finger to his mess of raven hair.

"I would have liked to meet him, if he were still alive."

Jack smiled sadly as more tears spilled down his face.

"I think he would've liked that too." He replied, his shoulders shaking with surpresed sobs.

Optimus gently moved the boy closer to his spark chamber, allowing the warmth that it radiated sooth the the teen. Jack leaned closer until he was resting against Optimus' chasis, slowly starting to doze off.

Optimus was surprised when he felt the matrix react to Jack, the few times before that he'd been in contact with the raven haired human, the reaction had been so faint that the Prime had thought it perhaps was just his mind playing tricks on him.

But now the reaction was firm, a steady pulse that Optimus knew wasn't just in his mind. Looking down at the human in his hand, Optimus saw Jack felt the strange pulse from the matrix as well. The teen looked up at Optimus with confusion, but was too tired and depressed to voice his question, and simply rested his head once again on the Prime's chasis.

Optimus didn't know why he trusted Jack so much as to let the boy so close to his spark. Any sensible Cybertronian would protect their life source tooth-and-nail, but this was different some how, almost as though he held his own sparkling.

Soon, the sky was being painted in golden hues by the setting sun, and, looking down at Jack, he saw the teen had fallen asleep while bathing in the comforting warmth of the Prime's spark.

Optimus smiled gently before contacting Ratchet and quietly asking for a groundbridge. He then stood, carefully cradling the small (by Cybertronian standard) human.


End file.
